An end to potholes?

Much was made during the local elections of the nuisance of potholes – more than a nuisance to cyclists; there have been deaths caused by potholes. I asked Lib Dem Councillor Gary Busutill for his response to the Chancellor’s ring-fenced funding for potholes.

He said: “£420m was allocated to an existing fund of £300m to tackle a pothole “epidemic”. That’s all very well and good but it’s widely considered that £8bn is needed if we are to eradicate the number of potholes we need for our roads.

“You do have to question where the Chancellor’s priorities lie. Though there is a pressing need to repair potholes, more money has been allocated for potholes than there has for schools or the police. As with many aspects of the Chancellor’s budget, this is just a sticking plaster, and has shown that an end to austerity is a long way off”.